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Gay, black and a policeman: A PC speaks out

Dominic Bascombe, 22 February 2005

It’s never been a good time to be a black gay, policeman, but it’s a position Gamal Turawa, a Metropolitan police officer, has learned to live with…

As the Met’s first openly gay black officer, PC Gamal Turawa is painfully aware of how difficult life can be as a member of a minority. Now, as a diversity awareness officer with the force, he uses his experience to help others.

Yet it wasn’t easy for him to admit the truth about his sexuality.

He admits he initially used the police service to hide his true self. "It was one way of covering up my sexuality and hiding who I really was. I wanted people to see me as a black police officer rather than a gay man.

"Every time I went out into the black community, I always did my best to make myself acceptable. I wanted to be seen as the bridge between the black community and the police service. Somebody who was on the inside but also knew what was going on outside."